ERCOT asks Texas residents to conserve power with grid under strain

• 3 years ago (2021-06-16)
• David Flin

Distribution 122 North America 1021

---

The Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid in Texas, has asked residents to conserve as much energy as possible until Friday. ERCOT said that the strain on the system arose from a combination of record high demand and an unusually high number of forced outages at power plants.

ERCOT said on 14 June that around 11 000 MW of generation in the state was on forced outage for repairs, including about 8000 MW of thermal energy. It said that the average level of forced outage for this time of year is about 3600 MW.

Woody Rickerson, Vice President of Grid Planning and Operations for ERCOT, said: “We will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many are out of service. This is unusual for this early in the summer season.”

While the system’s capacity is lower than usual, demand is at record levels. ERCOT said: “Based on preliminary data, the new record is 69 943 MW, which exceeds the 2018 June record by approximately 820 MW. Power plant owners continue repairs of unexpected equipment failures, and ERCOT is using all the tools in its toolbox to maintain reliability in the face of potential record-setting electricity demand.”